Presents for Puppies
by BeautifulNights
Summary: Marauders' era Christmas story. After the events of last weekend, Remus is more confused than ever about Sirius and himself. What happens when they are left alone by the fireplace to exchange Christmas presents? Sort of a sequel to "A little trip to Hogsmeade", but can be read on it's own.
1. Chapter 1: Keeping up appearances?

**Presents for puppies**

_Author's Notes: This is a sequel to "A little trip to Hogsmeade", but I think it can be read just fine on itself. Hope you like it!_

**Chapter 1: Keeping up appearances?**

"Hey, be careful with that!"

Remus' voice was laced with annoyance. A bottle of ink was hovering unsteadily over the desk he was seated at, currently dangerously close to the essay he'd been struggling with the entire evening.

"I you spill that stuff on my homework, I swear I'll…I'll pull your teeth out one by one and make you a necklace out of them!"

The three other boys turned to him with astonished looks.

"Moony…Whoa! What's with the bloodthirsty threats, mate? You'd think we were talking to Attila the Hun or something…." James lifted an eyebrow.

"Attila-the-what now?" Sirius had now turned to eye James instead. "Is that one of those muggle things Lily taught you again?"

James grinned.

"It's actually a really cool story! Lily borrowed me this book, you see Attila the Hun is actually an historic figure, known for his bloodthirsty approach and overtaking of lots of countries in ancient Asia….."

His friends gave a resigned sigh. Though they'd been together nearly a month now, James was as passionately as ever smitten with Lily and everything associated with her. Once he got started on something Lily-related, he could go on for hours and hours…. In other words – not much had changed in the past three or four years.

"Yeah, yeah, Prongs, I'm sure it's all very interesting and fantastic…" Sirius quickly cut in, apparently sensing the history lecture on its way, "But hey, who's up for Wizard's chess? Looks like we'd better be moving along before Moony threatens to relieve us of more precious bodyparts.…"

And with that statement he dragged James and Peter with him over to the fireplace at the other side of the common room. Remus watched them go, putting the ink bottle they'd been playing with back down next to his quills. At the other end of the room, his friends were laughing. Apparently Peter had just made some hilarious bet about the outcome of the chess game, and Sirius was slapping him on the back.

Was it weird to be a little jealous of that?

Remus snorted to himself, and returned his gaze to the essay in front of him.

The parchment was half-filled with his neat, steady writing. He hadn't written a word the last half hour though. Damn it, why couldn't he concentrate today?

A small voice in the back of his mind told him it knew exactly why he couldn't. _Grey eyes glued to his own, strong hands pushing him backwards against the sink. Lips…attacking him, forcefully, passionately. A burning sensation originating somewhere in his stomach, spreading through his entire body.._

Remus blinked.

He was _not _thinking about that.

And he was certainly not picturing it either!

The young wolf rubbed his temples, as if he thus could wipe out the unwelcome thoughts. Like every other time these last few days, he failed miserably.

Remus had always spent a lot of time studying, but now his keenness was reaching new heights. He hadn't been alone with Sirius for even a second since they returned from Hogsmeade together on Saturday – James and Peter were always around. Of course, that's how it always was, they were always together all four Marauders. But now…somehow it was getting weird.

Remus didn't know what Sirius was thinking. He didn't know how much James, Lily and Peter knew or had guessed, and he didn't even know what he thought of the whole thing himself! It was Sirius' apparent memory loss which bothered him the most, though. In his head he kept coming back to that thing Sirius had said…or more like mumbled into his ear.

"_If you liked that, just you wait until next time."_

What the hell, who said that sort of thing?

And more importantly, who said that sort of thing _and then did nothing about it?_

And why couldn't Remus stop picturing him. One of his best friends in the world, one of his only friends in fact. Standing there in front of him, half-smiling, with his shirt off. He remembered the thin layer of sweat on Sirius' upper body, making his skin glisten a little in the bathroom lights. And his husky voice, whispering…

Merlin.

This was just getting ridiculous. Was there something wrong with him?

He needed to talk to Lily.

**

"Okay….hm. Let me see if I've got this straight."

Lily held her hand up between them.

"So you've messed around with him" She ticked one finger, "Made out" she ticked a second, "done some…stuff" a third, "And now you're not talking?" The fourth finger wiggled questioningly at Remus.

Remus wrinkled his eyebrows.

"Well, it's not that we're not talking. Actually, we talk all the time. But we're not talking about _that,_ we just chat like normal, like I do with James and Peter. You know?" he looked a little puzzled. "And it feels kind of strange, like we're pretending it didn't happen or something."

Lily nodded. She lay on her back on the floor, resting her head on a pile of towels.

As Head Girl she still had access to the prefect bathroom, and had when a distressed Remus had approached her with a need to talk _privately_, she had taken him there. She'd had her suspicions of what was bothering him, and seemed to be right. He wasn't one to show too much emotion in public, but he'd been chewing his bottom lip in a way she could tell meant trouble.

The lip-chewer in question was now sitting on his own towel-pile next to her. He was leaning against the wall, absentmindedly picking at a tear in his shirt while talking.

"It's not that it's uncomfortable or tense or anything" he continued, "it's just…annoying, I guess. Being friends is all good, but…."

Remus stopped himself mid-sentence. He wasn't used to pouring his heart out to people like this, and in all honesty felt a bit stupid. Besides, it was hard to tell someone what you were thinking and feeling when you didn't really know it yourself.

Lily seemed to sense what was going on in his head, and smiled up at him with an amused look in her eyes.

"I know what you mean. The last few months before James and I got together were….I mean, I knew he liked me, I think he knew I liked him, but nothing happened! And after a while, you just get…frustrated, or bored. Friends is good, but making out is better!"

She giggled at her own words, and Remus chuckled with her.

"I know" he agreed sheepishly. "Talking is nice, but dammit – I want to kiss him!"

Lily chortled, sitting up to face him.

"And you should! All you guys need is some alone-time. I mean, it worked perfectly last time, didn't it?"

Remus grinned.

"Can't complain, no... But Christmas eve is in a few days , and all of the guys are together all the time. And I'm not _asking_ him to come talk to me alone - that's just lame."

"True, true…. I'll tell you what, don't you worry about it. Lily Evans is on the case!"

She grinned in that self-assured way of hers, tossing back her hair and looking like the image of confidence. In moments like this, Remus could see why James was so obsessed with her.

"Evans on the case, huh?" he smiled back.

"Yup. I mean – he still has to give you your Christmas gift doesn't he? In fact, I see a plan forming before my eyes…"

"Um, Lily? You won't do anything embarrassing will you?

"…"

"Lily!"

"Oh, _relax_… I'm just going to make sure you have a very merry Christmas indeed – and no embarrassment, I solemnly promise!"

"Solemnly promise you're up to no good, that is?"

"You know me too well."


	2. Chapter 2: Fun by the fireplace

.Presents for puppies.

_Author's Notes: A Christmas Eve posting - Consider it a present from me to you! Hope you'll enjoy it ____ Merry Christmas!_

**Chapter 2: Fun by the fireplace. **

_Christmas Eve 1976, The Gryffindor Common Room._

The Common room was shrouded in a comfortable, cozy warmth. In the fireplace logs burned happily, and the room was dimly lit. With the exception of a couple of first years who had gone to bed hours ago, the marauders and Lily were the only Gryffindors at school this holiday.

Remus had decided to stay in school because of the full moon approaching – he always felt safer and less of a risk to others transforming in the Shrieking Shack. Besides, even though they didn't say it, he had a feeling his parents didn't want the responsibility of taking care of a werewolf during Christmas. It was still a well-kept family secret after 11 years.

He had been a little bummed about it in the beginning, but after Sirius, James and Peter announced they'd be staying there with him, things had vastly improved. He couldn't imagine anything better than spending Christmas with his best friends! Particularly after what had happened in Hogsmeade last Saturday… And with Lily joining them, not wanting to be away from her boyfriend their first Christmas as a couple, Christmas harmony was complete.

Said couple was now sitting romantically intertwined in an old stuffed armchair by the fireplace. Lily was lounging on James' lap, leaning against his chest and murmuring something to him. He smiled, leaning down to kiss her.

Remus, Peter and Sirius were on the other side of the table from them - a table filled with empty butterbeer-bottles and chocolate wrappings.

The three boys were all apparently half asleep.

Peter was working up a quiet snore from his armchair, and Remus' eyes were fighting to stay open too. Sirius, sitting next to him on the sofa, still had a half-full bottle of butterbeer in his hand. He seemed to have forgotten it though, as he sat staring sleepily into the fireplace.

Lily yawned from her seat.

"Oh, I'm falling asleep here. What's the time?" she asked, stretching her arms and legs.

James kissed the top of her head.

"Nearly 1 am, love. Did you want to go to bed?"

She smiled.

"Yeah…Got to get up early for the presents tomorrow!"

"Wouldn't want to miss that" her boyfriend grinned back at her. "Besides", he added in a stage whisper, "going to bed with _you _adds it's own dimension of fun to christmas…"

Lily giggled and punched him playfully in the shoulder.

Then the pair of them got up from their chair, still holding hands.

"Hey guys, are you awake? We're off to bed now…" Lily looked at both Sirius and Remus, but Remus felt she was directing her words to him. "So…you'll stay up a little longer then? Pete'll probably sleep through an earthquake, so don't forget to wake him up before you two go to bed… "

"And have a good night!" she added with a wink towards Remus, and he felt a blush coming on.

_Lily! You promised no insinuations! _he thought, eyeing her angrily.

"Yeah" added James, "G'night! See you crazy kids tomorrow."

And with that he and his fiery-haired girlfriend disappeared towards the dormitory stairs.

"'Night!" sounded Remus and Sirius from their places in the sofa.

A couple of minutes passed by in silence.

Remus didn't know what Sirius was doing, but personally he was listening to the thumping of his own heart as it picked up speed.

They were alone.

Together.

For the first time since Saturday… On a couch, in front of a fireplace, at 1 o'clock in the morning.

Phew.

What to do now?

"All right!" sounded Sirius suddenly, "now that the lovebirds have flown the nest, what do you say we get up to some real fun?"

_Real fun?_

Remus coughed.

"Um…okay?"

*

15 minutes later, the two marauders lay on the floor in front of the fireplace.

"Hey, you have to grip it tighter" mumbled Sirius.

"No, not like that, you need to twirl it too…." He moved his hand over Remus' own. "Here, I'll show you…"

Remus watched him turn his stick.

"Oh, right! _Slowly_…"

"That's the trick."

"But…how do you keep it from burning?"

Their marshmallow-sticks bobbed happily just above the flames.

Remus had introduced the other marauders to the tasty muggle-candy a couple of years ago, and Sirius had loved it. Since then, he had refused to go through a single Christmas without them, and had gotten much better at roasting them than Remus had ever been.

"Just keep them out of the flames, that's all. You've got the biscuits and chocolate right?"

Remus nodded.

The two of them lay on their stomachs on the carpet, close together so that they both would reach the flames. Their elbows very nearly touched, and Remus' arm was stiffening from the strain of keeping it in this position for 15 minutes straight. Sirius seemed completely oblivious though, contemplating his melting marshmallow with a satisfied look.

"Done!" he claimed, with the air of one who's just won the war, and started putting together a marshmallow-chocolate-biscuit sandwich.

Remus' own marshmallow was dark burnt on one side and bright pink on the other. He'd been too busy trying to act normal to worry about his marshmallow-skills, and now looked at it sadly. "Mine's not."

Sirius grabbed it from his hand, and eyed it seriously.

"Yeah…sorry to have to break it too you Moons, but this sucks. I mean, it's really utterly, disgustingly, dreadfully awful."

Remus momentarily forgot his worries, as he chuckled and punched Sirius in the shoulder.

"You're such an ass! I'll have you know that my marshmallow rocks. I just don't _feel _like eating it right now!"

Sirius grinned.

"Right, right…I guess I'll just have to eat my tasty marshmallow-chocolate sandwich all by my lonely self then" he said, putting on a sad look.

"Gobble it up, wolf it down, savor it's delicious sweet chocolaty taste… _All alone_…"

A piece of melting chocolate threatened to drip off the edge of the sandwich, and Sirius swiped it up with his finger and licked it off.

"Mmmm, tasty!" he grinned at his lycan friend.

"All right, that's _it_!" growled Remus, laughing. "That sandwich is mine!"

And in one sudden movement he threw himself at Sirius.

The attack caught Sirius slightly off-guard, but he quickly retaliated by rolling around so Remus ended up underneath him.

They squirmed around on the floor a bit more, growling and laughing.

Eventually they ended up with Sirius laying on his back and holding the sandwich in one hand over and behind his head, while using the rest of his limbs to hold Remus so he couldn't reach it.

"Give it!" howled the wolf in Remus.

"Never!" barked the dog back at him, laughing and stretching his arm as far as he could. "It's mine!"

Remus was trapped, with Sirius' one free hand holding his own hands, and one of Sirius' legs wrapped around his own to keep him from moving. He trashed around a bit more, but couldn't seem to free himself of his friend.

"Padfoot! Dammit!" he gnarled.

Sirius' grin spread even wider.

"What's wrong, Moony? Aren't you comfortable?" he moved his hand holding Remus' and tickled his sensitive spot in the nape of his neck.

"Pads!!" shrieked Remus, writhing under his touch. And with a sudden new strength he freed one hand and gripped whatever part of Sirius was closest.

This turned out to be his chest, and the desperate Remus grabbed at his shirt so it ripped open, buttons flying everywhere.

Sirius jumped in surprise, and lost his hold on his friend.

"Whoa, undressing me already Moons?" he quipped.

This surprised Remus, sending him out of his fighting mood and back to the present moment.

He found himself standing on all fours over his friend, who lay spread-eagled on his back underneath him. Sirius' shirt was ripped open and showed a slightly heaving chest underneath it.

Remus paused.

"Who said anything about undressing?" he answered, trying to keep the playful mood while not saying anything he couldn't wriggle out of later.

"Weeell…" dragged Sirius, and in one swift movement reached up and ripped open Remus' shirt too.

"There! Even!"

Remus looked down at himself with shock.

"You just ripped my school shirt Pads! What the hell!"

Sirius grinned.

"All's fair in love and war, eh?"

Remus eyed him through his eyelashes.

"So this is war then?" he answered, still a little annoyed.

"Oh, I don't know…"

Sirius voice had a different tone to it now. He used his elbows to prop himself up a bit, and his face came within inches of Remus' own. Their noses nearly touched, and Remus met his gaze. Somehow being this close to Sirius, practically sitting on him in fact, made him feel a lot calmer than before. It felt natural, as if their bodies were made to fit each other.

"You don't know?" he mumbled back at him.

Sirius licked his lips.

"No. What do you think?"

The feel of his friend's hot breath against his face was exhilarating. Their noses touched.

Remus looked into Sirius' eyes, and drew his breath.


	3. Chapter 3: A rewarding exchange

Presents for puppies.

_**A.N: Alerts and favourites are very, very much appreciated – but reviews are appreciated even more! So let me know what you thought of it! -L**_

**-**

**Chapter 3: A rewarding exchange**

-

But no words would come to Remus' aid.

He was left sitting there like an idiot; just staring into Sirius eyes and feeling the latter's hot breath on his lips. _Come on_, screamed his mind from somewhere within, _do something! He's obviously expecting you to! _Unfortunately, neither Remus' mouth nor his body got the message – and he kept quite still.

After what seemed like forever, Sirius broke the silence himself.

"Hey Moony, guess what?" he said, a silly grin suddenly plastered across his face. "It's nearly 2 am!"

Sirius shuffled out from beneath Remus, suddenly all energetic moves and gleaming eyes, and jumped back up to his feet.

"You know what this means, right? It's Christmas day!!"

Remus hesitantly rose as well, simultaneously relieved and disappointed that the moment was broken.

Why hadn't he done anything?

If Sirius _had _meant something by that comment about 'love and war' – which he probably hadn't, but.. – Remus should have answered, shouldn't he. Maybe Sirius now though he was turning him down. Come to think of it – was he? If he really liked Sirius, shouldn't this kind of thing flow naturally?

Remus was shaken out of his doubting thoughts by an exited Sirius shaking him by the shoulders.

"Christmas day, Moony! Food! _Gifts_!!" The grin threatened to break Sirius' face in two.

Despite his worries, Remus had to crack a smile. No-one could get as excited as Sirius, and it always put a smile on Remus' face.

"But Pads, 2 am in the morning? I don't think the gifts arrive until morning, do they?"

Sirius grin faltered a little.

"Oh. Right."

He looked lost for a moment, before turning to Remus with a hopeful look.

"Console ourselves with more Butterbeer?"

Remus happily agreed, and they went back to the couch and be-bottled table. Sirius opened a pair of yellow bottles, and sat down handing one to his fellow Marauder.

For a couple of minutes they just sat next to each other.

Remus enjoyed the sweet taste and relaxation brought by the hint of alcohol.

Sirius lay his feet on the table in front of him. Anyone seeing them right then would say he looked completely relaxed and normal – just a guy hanging out with his friend, drinking butterbeer and talking. But if you took into consideration that this was Sirius Black, and then looked at his eyes more closely, you might see the faint mischievous glint playing there.

"Hey Moony?"

Remus turned his head towards him, mid-swig.

"Seeing as it is past 12 o'clock, and officially Christmas morning, I have an idea."

Remus nodded, his mind still occupied with a pleasant daydream of him and Sirius in The Three Broomsticks. It was amazing what you could do with Butterbeer…

"How about we give each other our presents now?"

"Mm" murmured Remus, half-listening.

"Because Lily told me you got me something from that tank-top shop, and I'm excited to see if it'll fit me as good as it did you."

Because of Sirius' innocent tone, it took Remus a couple of seconds to realize what he'd just said. Tank-top. Bathroom. Kissing. Naked. Remus snapped back to reality with a splutter, which he quite unsuccessfully tried to pass off as a cough.

"Ur, ahem, what?" _Dammit, dammit, don't blush!_

Sitting stiff as a pole and staring straight ahead, Remus didn't see the faint smile playing on Sirius lips.

"And I've got something for you too" Sirius added, ignoring Remus' failed attempt at pretending he hadn't heard him. "Are you excited Moony?!"

Sirius didn't wait for answer, but jumped up.

"Great! I'll go get them then, just you relax here for a bit."

And then he was gone, taking the stairs up to their dorm two steps at the time.

Remus breathed out slowly.

Excited? He was bloody terrified.

***

After what seemed like forever, Sirius came scrambling down the stairs again.

Remus had tried to arrange himself in a position which said 'I'm totally and completely relaxed, waiting for my purely platonic friend to return – as well as being utterly available and kissable should the subject come up. Incidentally, I'm also dead handsome.'

In effect, this meant leaning back on the corner of the couch with one arm draped - oh so casually - over the back of it.

He too late realized that this made him look like one of those cheesy guys who, while watching TV with their girlfriend, would drape their arm over the back of the couch so that they could - unnoticed by said girl of course - inch it closer and closer until it cuddled her shoulders…

Remus resisted the urge to slap himself, and instead concentrated on upholding his (he hoped) casual-meets-sexy air.

Sirius however, seemed completely oblivious to all this laidback sexiness going on as he sat down next to him on the couch. Remus couldn't help but notice there was a disappointing lack of blushing, and no comments were being made of his hotness either.

Oh well.

Sirius was carrying two neatly packed gifts. Or, one neatly packed gift that Remus recognized as his own for Sirius, and one rather scruffy package held together by what looked like a couple meters worth of tape and string.

The scruffy gift was wrapped in brightly shining red paper with green Christmas trees though, and even had a huge green bow on top of all the tape - so Remus knew the intention had been good. Sirius, growing up as a Black, had never needed to know even the simplest household spells. So, as pathetic as it might look, that wrapping had probably taken him quite the effort. Remus smiled at the thought.

"Oi, you're not laughing at my present are you?" Sirius looked at him suspiciously under furrowed brows.

Remus assured him that he wasn't. On the inside, he wondered how Sirius could look so relaxed, so _natural _all the time. It had taken Remus quite an effort to attain his cute guy-position. And there was Sirius, doing without even trying….

Remus noticed that he was still smiling. Somehow he felt better now. After all, there was just the two of them there (except from the sleeping Peter of course, but inanimate objects didn't count), and hadn't the worst already happened? Sirius had given him the perfect opportunity to kiss him, and Remus had responded with all the social prowess of a retarded shellfish. And now, they were going to open that gift, which would be just as embarrassing, and Remus could do nothing about it. So instead of throwing an angsty fit and throwing up in his hands, Remus simply smiled.

To tell the truth, he was impressed with himself.

*

"No, your present looks great Padfoot. Did you wrap it by hand?" Remus asked, studying the strange shape of the package.

Sirius beamed. He was actually quite proud of his work with that wrapping, even though James said it looked like it'd been done by a blind troll. He was particularly satisfied with the bow, seeing as he knew from clever research (asking James) that Remus liked green.

"Yup, did it all by myself like a good boy" he beamed. "So…flip a coin over who gets to open first??"

Remus smiled back at him. One of the things about Remus that often amazed Sirius was how he was always so calm and cool. Sirius himself tended to be all over the place with energy and restlessness, always moving, thinking, having ideas pop into his head like he was a walking lightning rod or something. But Remus had this _smoothness_, like he knew something no-one else did.

Come to think of it, he probably did. His eyes were like bottomless pits of….Sirius didn't quite know of what. He felt like he could stare into them for hours and hours, and never find out. Remus Lupin was a mystery! – and that wasn't something Sirius was used to.

Most of the time he read people like books, especially girls. He knew how to make them happy, what to say if they were sad, how to charm them into nearly anything at all.. But Remus was different.

For one thing, he was a bloke.

And this was something Sirius had thought about quite a lot these past weeks, particularly after what had happened in Hogsmeade on Saturday. Sirius had never been a discriminating guy – in his heart he knew that what he appreciated was beauty; and whether it was in a girl or a boy didn't seem to matter. But here, Remus was different again. Of course he was beautiful – oh yes indeed – but he was also a friend, someone Sirius respected. And most of all; Sirius could _never quite figure him out._

Like earlier this evening; Sirius had completely come on to him and gone in for a kiss; and Remus had done nothing. What was that? He _had _to be interested, he'd certainly been last Saturday!

Hadn't he?

"Nah, you can decide, I don't mind" said Remus, abruptly shaking Sirius out of his inner ramblings.

"Oh? Okay, then..you get to start! Becaaaause my present is too beautifully wrapped to wait! Yay!" Sirius realized he sounded a bit like a squirrel on speed, and tried to at least _look_ like he kept his cool.

But inside, he felt that familiar childish present-rush as Remus picked up his first present of the year.

While Remus started working on the string, Sirius wondered fleetingly what he'd think of the gift. James and Pete had tried to get him to buy a watch or something, but Sirius refused to go for something as boring as that. A watch? That was such an old man-gift, Sirius didn't even dignify it with a response. So naturally he had used his clever researching skills (conferring with the guys again) and gone to the source of what Remus liked more than anything else in the world….

"Oooh, Honeydukes wrapping!" Remus' eyes lit up.

He held a large oblong box in his hands, emblazoned with the golden Honeydukes logo. How on earth Sirius had managed to wrap a perfectly normal box and make it look like a shapeless heap, he'd never know. Remus let his hands caress the box lovingly. If there was something he loved…

Sirius sat crouched up in the sofa, facing Remus. The boy was sliding his hands over the box, slowly, almost languidly.

Now, why did he have to do that when Sirius was trying so hard to keep his cool? It was so typical of Remus. He was always doing everything like this – his whole body language was smooth, elegant, deliberate… Sirius tried not to think of how Remus would look _eating _that chocolate.

"Oh wow, this is wicked!" Remus exclaimed. He had opened the box, and was looking down on Honeydukes' Assorted Holiday Chocolate Lover Mix Supreme.

"Sirius! You shouldn't have!"

And now he was slipping a chocolate into his mouth.. Merlin. This wasn't fair. And hey, why was Sirius letting Remus have all the power? After all, he was Sirius Black.

"Oh, you know you want it!" Sirius said, leaning closer with a smug grin plastered across his face. "Did you notice the chocolate sauce? I think you'll like that one especially…" Sirius gave Remus his best heart-throb look through his eyelashes. _Ha!_

Remus' eyes widened, and he felt the familiar blush building up.

Dammit! He'd let his guard down when he saw the present, and now Sirius was all close and….yummy.

Those intense eyes of his, always looking at Remus, and ruffled black hair everywhere, giving the pureblood noble a permanent just-got-out-of-bed look. Sirius in bed. Hm…

No! He was not going to let Sirius play him this easily. Time to find out how much of a game this really was..

"Yeah?" answered Remus, looking Sirius straight in the eye. "Well, I do love the taste of sweetness in my mouth. And there's a lot of fun to be had with chocolate sauce, eh?"

Sirius raised his eyebrows. Seriously, did Remus Lupin just make a sexual reference concerning chocolate sauce?

Oh, it was _on._

"Sure" smiled Sirius, keeping his friend's gaze while leaning towards the box. "You don't mind if I have a taste, do you?"

He picked up a chocolate, inhaling the scent of it before putting it in his mouth.

"Mm" he murmured, and slowly licked the residue off his fingers. His eyes' never left Remus. "Tasty".

Remus licked his lips in sync with Sirius, the contours of a lopsided smile forming on his mouth.

"I bet it is" he said, steadily keeping his friend's gaze.

Sirius could feel his breath growing heavier. Damn it, his chocolate-plan was backfiring! Those lips were just too good - he needed a diversion.

"Hey!" he forced himself to drop Remus' gaze, "isn't it my turn to open a gift now?"

Remus smiled to himself. _Ha!_ He'd definitely shocked him a little there.

This was fun!

"Sure" he smiled, "open away. I'll just watch."

Right now, he wasn't even nervous to see Sirius reaction. Well, not _very_ nervous at least.

"So you like to watch, huh?" Sirius mumbled while reaching for his gift.

Remus chuckled.

"Maybe."

*

Sirius rolled his eyes, and started unwrapping the present. Inside was a white shirt with black lining at the cuffs and collar, and black buttons down the front. It was obviously from Gladrags, where Remus had bought the infamous tank top last weekend.

"Hey, Gladrags, awesome" said Sirius, wondering how he could use this to it's full extent. "You never know what might come off their clothes".

Urgh, that was lame. He needed stronger stuff.. Ah! Sirius smiled to himself.

"Mind if I try it on right now?"

Remus blinked. Try it on? But Sirius was already unbuttoning his school shirt right in front of him. Seriously, that bloke.. And then Remus train of thought was pushed entirely off its rails. Sirius' pale, muscular chest was erupting before him. The mere sight threw Remus right back to the events of the past weekend. He could practically taste the sweat…

"Uh" he nearly growled, and then had to clear his voice. "Um, yeah, go ahead.." _Damn. Get dressed, you dog, before I…_

But Sirius didn't dress. He just paused there, bare-chested with the shirt from Remus dangling from his hand. Then he leaned forward.

"Remus" his voice was breathy, "thank you so much, I love it."

He proceeded to pull Remus into a tight hug, smiling to himself. If this didn't break that werewolf, he didn't know what would… And then he felt the fingers, trailing up the small of his back. A surprised gasp left his mouth. Remus Lupin!

Sirius pulled out of the hug, but didn't sit back down. Their faces were mere inches apart. Sirius hesitated, unsure of whether to push things further. After all, it wasn't the competition he was trying to win.

Remus on his part, was inwardly kicking himself when he realized he was back in the position he had been in earlier this evening, Sirius lips almost touching his. Why did it always get to this? Why was he letting himself play along when he knew he'd only get hurt?

"Remus?"

"Sirius?"

They spoke each other's names at the exact same moment.

"Listen" offered Remus in a small voice, "I think I should tell you something. I'm not looking for just… I mean, I don't know what you're thinking, but.."

"Me neither" interrupted Sirius, "I'm not just interested in…well, you know. If that's what you meant? If not, I didn't mean…"

They looked at each other's equally insecure expressions.

Then they both chuckled.

"Hey Moony" mumbled Sirius. "I know people say I'm just a love-'em-and-leave-'em kind of guy, or whatever, but…I don't want that with you. You're different."

"Really?" the honeyblonde boy eyed him soberly. "Because seriously, if this is just another one-time fling then..I won't get mad, but I'd rather you tell me right now. Okay?"

Sirius smiled weakly. "It's not. Really not."

They were so close, and Remus didn't know if he was falling under some sort of Sirius spell or something, but, well, he really did seem sincere. Sirius wasn't just Sirius Black, he was also Padfoot. And Moony trusted Padfoot.

"Pads? I think I really like you" he said quietly, eyes closed. It was now or never.

There was a millisecond where everything stood still for Remus. There was no sound from the boy in front of him.

And then he felt the velvety lips on his own.

The kiss wasn't like last weekend – not filled with violent need and fighting for dominance.

But it was passionate, and light, and to Remus tasted sweeter than any Honeydukes Holiday Mix ever could. He chuckled lightly into Sirius lips at his own cheesy thoughts.

"Hey" whispered Sirius, "you better not be laughing at my snogging skills."

Remus smiled a little nervously. Sirius hadn't said it back yet.

"I'm not", he mumbled.

"Good. Because you'd better get used to them. I'm not letting your lips near anyone else from now on."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. I like you too, you mangy wolf."

"Sleazy dog."

"Hey! Who are you calling sleazy, Mr. I-like-to-play-with-chocolate-sauce?"

To that, Remus had no snappy retort.

His lips were too busy elsewhere.


End file.
